MOSCOW. March 12 (Interfax) - Almost a third more foreigners were deported or expelled from Russia in 2024 over the previous year and there was a decrease in the number of temporary and permanent residence permits issued, Russian Interior Ministry spokesperson Irina Volk said.
"Last year saw over 190,000 decisions on administrative expulsion, deportation and readmission of foreign citizens, which is almost a third more than in 2023," Volk said on her Telegram channel, citing the statistics of the Russian Interior Ministry's Main Directorate for Migration Issues.
More than 157,000 foreigners who had violated the law were made to leave Russia, which is a 45% increase from 2023, she said.
Apart from that, the Interior Ministry issued 267,200 notices denying entry to Russia. "It is 93,800 more than in 2023," Volk said.
"Last year, there were half as many temporary residence permits issued, while the number of permanent residence permits declined by 25%. This was due to the enhanced detection and prevention of foreign citizens abusing the simplified procedure for obtaining such documents," she said.